Matildas 'fired up' for Women's World Cup's group of death

Australia's female soccer team, The Matildas, are ranked 10th in the world but have arguably the toughest group at the Women's World Cup in Canada, meaning they'll need all of their self-described 'individual little magic' to get past the first stage.

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LEIGH SALES, PRESENTER: Recently, soccer has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The FIFA corruption scandal threatens to overshadow the Women's World Cup that kicked off in Canada over the weekend.

It's ranked 10th in the world, but that doesn't mean it'll have an easy road to the finals.

The team's drawn arguably the toughest group and will struggle to get past the first stage.

Julia Holman caught up with the team and some of their families just before they left Australia.

JULIA HOLMAN, REPORTER: The countdown is on to one of the biggest tournaments in the women's sporting world.

LISA DE VANNA, MATILDAS CO-CAPTAIN: It's a mix of experience, but I think overall we've got this individual little magic inside of us that, you know, when the World Cup comes, it's just putting it together and showing the world what we can do.

JULIA HOLMAN: The team's co-captain, Lisa De Vanna, is one of the most experienced and most dangerous players in women's soccer.

LISA DE VANNA: I've been told I'm like a - I'm a firecracker. I'm pretty quick. I'm lightning quick. I'm aggressive. You know, I play with a lot of passion, being half-Portuguese and half-Italian, so I've got that feistiness, that competiveness in me.

JULIA HOLMAN: These women have made enormous sacrifices to be part of this team. They've quit their jobs and spent the last five months in camp preparing for the World Cup.

ALEN STAJCIC, MATILDAS COACH: It's very rare for a national team to get that much time together, but we've basically been in camp, touring, playing matches virtually every day. Players basically only get Saturday and Sunday to themselves back home and then we're back in the camp on Monday. So, tremendous effort from the players and staff to spend so much time away from their home.

NILGUN UZUNLAR, MOTHER: I am very proud of my daughter and I'm also very proud of all the girls here.

JULIA HOLMAN: The Uzunlar family is watching their daughter play her last game in Australia, a friendly against Vietnam in Sydney's suburban south, before she heads to Canada.

NILGUN UZUNLAR: It's very, very hard work to be this standard and it's everything for them. It's - they eat, sleep soccer. It's nothing else.

BULANT UZUNLAR, FATHER: 'Cause I love the soccer, is all my life. My whole kids played soccer.

JULIA HOLMAN: Servet Uzunlar is off to her second World Cup and her passion for the game comes from her Turkish roots and particularly from her father.

SERVET UZUNLAR, MATILDAS PLAYER: Regardless of whether I play for the Matildas or play for my club, my parents love to come watch. My dad's fanatical about football. So, yeah, they'll be really, really excited and they love to watch me play in the green and gold.

JULIA HOLMAN: While many families are heading to Canada, they can't all get there.

NILGUN UZUNLAR: She's so excited and she said always, like USA, our first game and she said, "We can do it." She said - you know. And they really - I think I got a feeling that this team is really sort of bond together.

JULIA HOLMAN: Servet's parents have been supporting her from the sidelines for the past 20 years, sometimes with very vocal encouragement.

BULANT UZUNLAR: Now the whole team knows me. When I scream, they know. I said, my language, "Run," it's, "Uru, uru, uru," which means run, you know, don't (inaudible). And then I screamed. I can't hold myself.

JULIA HOLMAN: Sadly, Servet's family won't be going to Canada. There's a business to run and an even bigger battle to fight. Bulant Uzunlar has cancer.

BULANT UZUNLAR: It's because I have troubles (inaudible) my health, all my kidneys and (inaudible) and every week I went to hospital.

JULIA HOLMAN: I understand you're actually getting a round of chemo on Tuesday. Does that mean you're gonna be watching the game while you're getting chemo?

NILGUN UZUNLAR: He was very upset. He said to me, he said, "I'll be at the hospital," he said, "when the game." Yeah, I think what we gonna do, he's gonna record it and I said to him we tell everyone that no-one will mention or message the score.

BULANT UZUNLAR: They can't help it. I'll find out anyway.

NILGUN UZUNLAR: Yeah. He doesn't like it. And we'll come home and maybe sit down and watch the game, yeah.

JULIA HOLMAN: The Matildas are ranked 10th in the world, far higher than the men's Socceroos, and football fans say they'll bring home a World Cup trophy well before the men do.

CRAIG FOSTER, FMR SOCCEROO & SBS COMMENTATOR: I believe, and I'm telling you now, the Matildas are gonna win the FIFA World Cup. It's not impossible they win this one, but I tell you what, it's not gonna be long.

ALEN STAJCIC: Yeah, we've got an extremely tough group. We couldn't have got a tougher group, to be honest, and it was pretty much the highest ranked team from each pot came out in the group and that includes us. So I'm sure that Sweden and America and Nigeria feel just as hard done by as we do.

JULIA HOLMAN: Servet's parents won't be in the stadium, but their belief in her and the team will be with her on the field.

SERVET UZUNLAR: My parents think I'm the best player in the world, so they've got all their confidence in me. I think I'll be nervous, but, um, yeah, they'll be a little nervous, but I think more proud.